Artur Karczmarczyk

Integrated approach to e-commerce websites evaluation with the use of surveys and eye tracking based experiments

Due to high availability of e-commerce websites providing similar services and products, the website usability becomes one of the most critical factors affecting online businesses success. Therefore, website quality and user experience evaluation is an important research task. There are multiple methodologies for performing the evaluation. The proposed in our earlier studies PEQUAL methodology extends the classical eQual method by taking into account different aspects of preference modeling and aggregation derived from Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). This paper extends the PEQUAL methodology further by incorporating eye tracking based measurement and analysis into the criteria set. The results of the conducted empirical verification of proposed approach are presented.

Integration of Eye-Tracking Based Studies into e-Commerce Websites Evaluation Process with eQual and TOPSIS Methods

The evaluation of the e-commerce websites’ quality, usability and user experience is an important research task. Various survey-based evaluation methods are available, eQual being one of them. However, these methods are not free of disadvantages. In this paper, a novel approach is presented, where a single usability evaluation model is created on the basis of the eQual survey criteria and the perceptual evaluation data from eye tracking devices, thus extending the statistical survey model with objective gaze measurements and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methodology foundations. The combined data is processed with the crisp and fuzzy variants of the TOPSIS method to evaluate the websites. An empirical verification is performed and the results are presented. The results showed the benefits of the author’s proposed approach as well as the wide possibilities of interpretation of the obtained solutions.

Generalised framework for multi-criteria method selection

Abstract Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methods are widely used in various fields and disciplines. While most of the research has been focused on the development and improvement of new MCDA methods, relatively limited attention has been paid to their appropriate selection for the given decision problem. Their improper application decreases the quality of recommendations, as different MCDA methods deliver inconsistent results. The current paper presents a methodological and practical framework for selecting suitable MCDA methods for a particular decision situation. A set of 56 available MCDA methods was analysed and, based on that, a hierarchical set of methods characteristics and the rule base were obtained. This analysis, rules and modelling of the uncertainty in the decision problem description allowed to build a framework supporting the selection of a MCDA method for a given decision-making situation. The practical studies indicate consistency between the methods recommended with the proposed approach and those used by the experts in reference cases. The results of the research also showed that the proposed approach can be used as a general framework for selecting an appropriate MCDA method for a given area of decision support, even in cases of data gaps in the decision-making problem description. The proposed framework was implemented within a web platform available for public use at www.mcda.it.

Sustainable decision-making using the COMET method: An empirical study of the ammonium nitrate transport management

This paper investigates the problem of the sustainable ammonium nitrate transport. The significance of this problem is increasing, considered the occurrence of the worldwide agricultural production boost. The existing international regulations for the transport of the dangerous chemical substances are not sufficient to obtain a satisfactory solution for the sustainable transport. The main reason for that is the fact that the safety criteria can easily become dominated by the economic factors. In this paper, the authors use the COMET method to identify a decision making model for the selection of the best scenario of sustainable transport. The COMET method is a new multi-criteria decision-making technique that is free of the rank reversal phenomenon. The identified model provides information about the global and local significance level of each of the criteria. The proposed approach can be easily expanded by using a greater number of criteria, depending on the particular problem analyzed. The proposed methodology is an efficient and highly accurate solution to make decisions based on experts knowledge.

Using the COMET Method in the Sustainable City Transport Problem: an Empirical Study of the Electric Powered Cars

Abstract This paper investigates the problem of sustainable city transport. The significance of this problem is increasing, considering the inevitable increase of air pollution levels in cities. Currently, cars with diesel engines are not admitted to many city centers, and this trend can be expected to be maintained. Moreover, this restriction will be expanded to all combustion cars in the foreseeable future. Therefore, combustion vehicles will eventually be replaced by electric ones. In this paper, the authors use the Characteristic Objects METhod (COMET) to identify a decision-making model for the selection of the best model of car for sustainable city transport. The COMET method is a new approach that is free of the rank reversal phenomenon. The identified model provides information about the significance level of each of the criteria. The presented approach can easily be expanded by using a greater number of criteria and alternatives, depending on the specification of the considered problem. Moreover, the interval numbers concept is proposed as the basic approach to dealing with input data uncertainty by using the COMET method. The presented technique is an efficient and highly accurate approach to make decisions based on experts’ experience.

Increasing Coverage of Information Diffusion Processes by Reducing the Number of Initial Seeds

Initialization of information spreading processes within complex networks is usually based on selection of initial nodes as a seed set. While most methods are choosing seeds in a single stage, another possible option is a partial budget usage in the first stage and spending the remaining budget while the process develops. In this paper we analyze how the ratio of seeds used in the primary and supporting stages affects the performance in terms of number of activated nodes and its duration. We have used real networks and agent based simulations with various parameters including different propagation probabilities, nodes selection strategies and number of seeds. Results show that coverage can be improved by minimizing the number of seeds used in primary seeding and increasing it in supporting seeding. Delaying the use of supporting seeds better supports natural diffusion processes and avoids selection of seeds with high potential to be activated anyway.

Linguistic Query Based Quality Evaluation of Selected Image Search Engines

Abstract There are billions of images available on the Internet. With such a rich collection available and such a great diversity of users and their various needs, content-based image retrieval becomes a problem. Luckily, this is partially solved by publicly available image search engines; however, a question what their linguistic quality is arises. An approach to evaluate linguistic query based quality of image search engines is proposed in this paper and a sample test set and queries are presented.

Application of the Fair Secret Exchange Protocols in the Distribution of Electronic Invoices

Abstract Exchange of digital goods may not be as easy to perform as it seems. We must consider the fact that one or both participants of the exchange may be dishonest and simply try to misbehave and disappear after gaining some kind of advantage over the other participant. Therefore, it is important to design exchange protocols in such a way that no one can cheat. Either all participants receive the electronic goods they expect or all participants receive nothing at all, provided that any of the participating parties abstained from, or aborted the exchange at any time before the end. Protocols which are designed in such a manner are called fair secret exchange protocols. Fairness of a protocol guarantees that no party can misbehave, and even if they manage to do so, they will be caught and prosecuted. In this paper, we suggest a protocol for fair distribution of invoices based on the aforementioned protocols, and we conduct an experiment that evaluates how the security and fairness of the process of sharing an electronic invoice between the issuer and the customer is increased. The proposed protocol’s fairness and performance evaluation results are also presented.

Experimental Study of Color Contrast Influence in Internet Advertisements with Eye Tracker Usage

In the last decade, the number of practical applications that use eye tracker devices has significantly increased. Nowadays, eye tracking is a very important part of neuromarketing and experimental economics research. This chapter presents the experiment with eye tracking usage that was conducted to check how the contrast of advertisements influences their effectiveness. The main motivation for this research is the fact that it is very difficult to gain consumer’s attention in online systems. The experiment was aimed to detect the relations between the contrast of advertising units, its location within the site, and the level of the recipient’s interest based on absorption and attention. The results of the experiment are presented and discussed.

Hierarchical Representation of Website Evaluation Model Using Survey and Perceptual Based Criteria

The high availability of e-commerce websites which deliver similar services and products, as well as the harsh rivalry between competitors, increased the importance of systematic evaluation of the e-commerce websites’ quality, usability and user experience. Multiple methodologies for performing the evaluation are available, however, they are based mainly on survey data. In our previous research, we introduced perceptual measurements from eye tracker (ET) to the set of evaluation criteria. In this paper, we present an approach based on AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) to allow a thorough analysis of the complex structure of criteria and its impact on the final evaluation. Additionally, we combine the AHP outputs with the COMET (Characteristic Objects METhod) technique to build a fuzzy rule base that provides a stable model of the entire domain of evaluation criteria. The results of the conducted empirical verification of the proposed approach are presented and discussed. The main research findings show that the rankings obtained with the presented approach are very stable and the probability of a rank reversal phenomenon is low.